Train station tower OKd despite some objections

While the new site, 380 feet to the north near Interstate Route
287, was portrayed as less intrusive, residents argued that
Omnipoint Communications of Wayne sought to equip the tower with
T-arm antennas, whereas the original court-approved tower would
have had smaller flush-mounted antennas. If the choice is
between huge antennas and flush mount, my choice would be flush
mount, said Arthur Raynes of 7 Turner St. But Gregory J. Czura,
attorney for Omnipoint, said the train station site was not a full
site and if his client were forced to build a tower with flush
mounts there, it would eventually seek board or court approval to
install T-arms. Youre only putting off today what youll see
tomorrow, he said. Board members did not want that to happen. A
T-arm mount for that location would be tragic for the
neighborhood, said board member Jeffrey Plaza. The board approved
the proposal in a 6-1 vote, with Board Chairman Carolyn Freeman
dissenting. Freeman said she would go along with the residents.
Three years ago, Omnipoint proposed to build a 90-foot-high
monopole tower directly opposite the train station platform on
Depot Place. A use variance was required because the 2.45-acre NJ
Transit site is residentially zoned. The proposal drew vehement
opposition from residents and was denied by the board in a 7-0 vote
on March 6, 2002. Omnipoint sued, leading a state Superior Court
judge to reverse the denial on Feb. 25, 2003. A state Appellate
Court upheld the reversal on Jan. 14 of this year. Omnipoint then
proposed the alternative site, persuading the board not to pursue
an appeal to the state Supreme Court. Omnipoint offered to use a
GPU-leased site along the train tracks near I-287. There, it would
take down three utility poles with heights of 66 to 75 feet and
replace them with a 93.5-foot-high cell tower and a 75-foot-high
GPU pole. The proposal, first presented to the board on Wednesday,
April 7, called for the cell tower to have 12 T-arms that would
each have a length of five feet and a total span of 12 feet. Last
Wednesday, however, Czura said the number of T-arms was cut to nine
at the request of the State Historic Preservation Office. Lot Of
Nonsense Les Johnson of 100 North Finley Ave., one of about 15
people in the audience, characterized the look of the T-arms as
totally negative. I say lets put up what was approved by the
court and make it a flush mount, he said. I heard theyre doing
this as a concession to the town and the neighbors. I dont believe
that for a second. Thats a lot of nonsense. Raynes said he heard
the board threw in the towel and capitulated completely. Irene
McMahon of 31 Ridge St. said the proposal left her confused and
disappointed because she saw no gain. Jim Morris of 14 West Craig
St. argued that by not appealing to the state Supreme Court, the
board lost a negotiating chip. Freeman, however, said the board
already lost in court twice. Board Attorney Thomas Bitar added that
the probability of success was not very great and the new site
seemed better. Czura said that as Omnipoint challenged the denial,
it continued to look for an alternate site and unsuccessfully
sought the Basking Ridge Firehouse on Washington Avenue.
Eventually, we were able to cut a deal with the GPU people. He
acknowledged that Omnipoint would get a better site and better
antennas. You can deny it but in the end, be careful what you wish
for, he said. Board member William Kreuder said the area would end
up with a cell tower anyway but at least the new site was more
remote. He said the board was essentially giving that site an extra
15 feet of height to have two poles instead of three. My feeling
is overall, this site just makes more sense, Kreuder said.
Theres less infringement on the historic nature not just of the
train station but the neighborhood as well. That was echoed by
board member George Jonovich. I think weve done the best we could
to have a reasonable solution, he said. Morris asked if Omnipoint
was willing to accept the alternate site with flush-mounted
antennas. Czura said it was not.

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